MADISON, Wis. – The Minnesota women’s tennis team came out on top in its first Big Ten contest Sunday afternoon, dispatching Border Battle rival Wisconsin at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wis., 4-3. The undermanned Badgers pushed the Gophers to a decisive seventh point, but the Maroon and Gold emerged with the victory when senior Natallia Pintusava won at No. 2 singles.

Wisconsin, which had just five players available for the match, forfeited at No. 3 doubles and 6 singles.

After beginning doubles play with an advantage out of the gate, Minnesota clinched the match’s first point when Pintusava and Julia Courter dispatched Lauren Chypyha and Anastasia Tripolskaya 8-6 at No. 2. The triumph improved the duo’s record to 10-1 on the season.

UW’s Nova Patel recorded a straight-set win against Aria Lambert and Chypyha beat Minnesota No. 1 Tereza Brichacova, 6-2, 6-4, to even the score at two after a forfeit at No. 6 gave the Gophers an automatic 2-0 lead following the doubles point.

The Badgers put the Gophers on the ropes when Tripolskaya handed Courter her second singles loss of the season in two sets at No. 3, but Minnesota rallied.

At No. 4, Jessika Mozia recovered from a 6-3 loss in the first set to take down Sydney Rider. The Littleton, Colo. native won a second-set tiebreaker, 7-2, and knotted the match score at three with a 6-2 win in the third set. Pintusava’s heroics capped the win. The Belarusian senior stormed back from a 6-1 first-set loss to win with 6-2 and 6-3 wins in the second and third sets, respectively.

The win improved Minnesota’s record to 9-3 with a ledger of 2-0 on the road. The Gophers are 1-0 in league action.

The Gophers resume action next Saturday, playing again in the state of Wisconsin when they travel to Marquette.